Why Ryan Coogler never considered an alternate ending for Killmonger?
Killmonger is being hailed as one of the best villains in the MCU. However, as his outcome left fans wanting for more, Ryan Coogler explains why he chose that ending.
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Marvel Studios has done it again. In one sweeping move its latest release, Black Panther, has broken box-office records, garnered critical appreciation, represented the African community on the mainstream platform & provided a solid story for all generations to enjoy. Additionally, Ryan Coogler managed to create a compelling villain in the form of Erik Killmonger, which is a rarity in the MCU. However, as the Wakandan bad boy’s short-lived reign has left some fans unsatisfied, Coogler has an explanation for why he deserved it.
Spoiler alert: This article contains major spoilers for Black Panther.
Killmonger’s antagonistic motivations was a mixture of his urge to avenge his father’s death and liberate every person of African origin by weaponizing Wakanda’s precious Vibranium. And the only way to do so was by taking down T’Challa, because that would give him control over all of Wakanda and its resources.
So, Killmonger challenged T’Challa to a ritualistic battle, where he managed to not only beat him, but also throw him off a waterfall, apparently to his death. However, as T’Challa survived the fall, he came back to continue the battle and regain control over Wakanda; which concluded with T’Challa stabbing and killing Erik. Considering the potentiality of Killmonger, while fans might’ve thought he was in for the long run, Coogler implied in an interview with Empire, that his savagery had made him incapable of redemption and only death could complete his arc.
"“No, for him we always – that wasn’t something that we went back and forth on. His end was the same as draft one that it was in the film. Just because the idea was that these two things can’t coexist; if T’Challa and him… you know, that was a great tragedy of it for T’Challa, I think. But Killmonger was too far gone.”"
Although we can make a case against Killmonger’s methods, there’s no denying that his worldview was absolutely right, as it ended up altering T’Challa’s attitude towards Wakanda’s international policies. In addition to that, Killmonger’s story was very moving (unlike most MCU villains), because he had the potential of being something great but ended up becoming a monster because of T’Chaka’s fault and oversight. And since we have no idea if we’ll ever have an antagonist as poignant, complex and intriguing as him, is there a way to see more of Killmonger than we already got?
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Erik Killmonger deserves a movie or TV series of his own.
Those who’ve been following Marvel on the big screen and the small screen know full well that they’ve a tendency of bringing back popular characters. While it was okay when they resurrected characters who didn’t die on-screen, like Loki, the fictional universe’s stakes took a substantial dip when they revived Agent Coulson, even though we clearly saw him taking his last breath. However, as Killmonger’s end was necessary, and since he perished with one of the most heart-wrenching lines in cinematic history, Marvel should keep it that way in order to make death matter again.
"“Bury me in the ocean with my ancestors who jumped from ships, cause they knew death was better than bondage.” – Erik Killmonger"
So, instead of wasting whatever Black Panther has built for a cheap twist, Marvel should do a prequel trilogy that’d focus on Killmonger’s origins. As we only got a summary of his brutal past, a war-thriller series can actually flesh out his perspective even further and justify how he attained the name of Killmonger.
Considering how, Michael B. Jordan has done a marvelous job of portraying the scarred villain, it’ll be a delight to see him portray Killmonger again, slaying a bunch of enemies in various missions (as Everett Ross says) like it was a video game. And as Coogler understands the character and has a great rapport with Jordan, he’ll be the best choice to helm Marvel’s first villain-based trilogy.
Next: How did the Avengers: Infinity War trailer ruin an important Black Panther moment?
However, after the Fox and Marvel merger, since the production house has to come up with ways to introduce pre-existing characters from an alternate universe to the MCU, they might not have room for a Killmonger cinematic series. That’s why they can hand him over to Netflix and create an R-rated series that’d cover his journey from Oakland to Wakanda. As we only got to hear the atrocities that he’d experienced, this show can dive into all the race-related problems and oppression that Erik had witnessed growing up. In addition to that, as Netflix doesn’t have any content-based restrictions, they can show the violence and barbarity that forged the tragic tale of Erik Killmonger.
Black Panther is currently in theaters nationwide.
Are you interested to see a movie or TV series based on Killmonger’s life? Let me know in the comments.